Walk down Cannock Extension Canal and Lunch at The Finger Post (Wyrley and Essington Canal)

Our mooring at Pelsall Common

Coot Family

We are staying put today as this is such a lovely area to moor. 

We are going to walk down the Cannock Extension Canal which branches off the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Pelsall Junction.   This extension canal was originally 5.5 miles long and completed in 1863 and ran from Pelsall to the colliery town of Hednesford and served a number of collieries, which provided the main boat traffic.  The section of canal above Watling Street and the M6 Toll Road was abandoned in 1968, due to damage by subsidence.  However the remaining 1.5 miles from Pelsall Junction to Norton Canes remains navigable and there are two boat yards at the end, Canal Transport Services and Norton Canes Boatbuilders.

We set off down the canal, up over the bridge and onto the Extension Canal.  It was a nice walk down to the end as it is really rural.  We saw a family of Coots which was nice to see as you don’t seem to see many baby coots.  We got to the end of the canal where it meets the A5 (Watling Street)!

Moss Farm Farm Shop

We looked across the road and would you believe it, there was a farmshop, Moss Farm so we played chicken and got across the road in one piece, it actually wasn’t as busy as we thought it would be.

Sat at end of Extension Canal

We had a look around the farm shop, there was a lot of fruit and veg and a few other things, we bought some fresh strawberries and bacon a nice pork pie and a couple of cold drinks.  It was great finding this shop as we didn’t know it was there, so a nice surprise.

Cannock Extension Canal

Coot family with young babies

We got back across the road and sat on a bench at the end of the canal and had our drinks.   We found out that we were in a 4G area so download Dave got out his phone and started downloading, it seemed funny sat on a bench in a wooded area at the end of a canal downloading, then we saw the mast and realised that’s why it was so good in that spot, it pleased Download Dave!

Young Coot Babies

The Finger Post Pub

 Suitably rested, we walked back down the extension canal and onto the main line, dropped our purchases off at the boat then went up to The Finger Post pub for lunch.  On the way back down the canal we saw another family of coots and the babies were even younger than the others we saw earlier.

My £1 dessert!

Lunch was superb and at a great price, starters were £1, mains were £4.95 and desserts were £1 as well.  It is a really nice pub and the lady who served us was so friendly and made you feel very welcome.  We definitely recommend it and if we came this way again we would certainly go there again.  It has been another hot sunny day so after lunch we just chilled out in the boat as we have been out in the sun enough for one day.

We are staying here tonight then heading on tomorrow.